Switching to iMac: Questions

[heroscraps]

Hi Everyone,

I am coming out of lurkdom to ask your help. Please bear with the length of this post.

I have decided to switch to an iMac soon. I have not fully decided my specs. I currently use PSE3 for photo editing and digital scrapbooking. I do use lots of actions provided by Photoshop users. I am planning to purchase PSE4 for Mac, and would like to possibly get Adobe Lightroom eventually. Also, would possibly upgrade to full Photoshop later. Right now I am on a Dell that is a few years old running with only 256RAM. (Yeah, I know.) I wasn't "digital" then. At the moment I can't even be using PSE and listening to music at the same time. Obviously I need an upgrade and decided Mac is the way to go. Some questions for those in the know about macs, and I have read some of the previous threads...congrats to those who have just recently purchased!! I am just a TAD bit jealous.

1. Customizing the Machine:

I have read on the Apple site that they do not take returns on customized machines. (Surprised me a bit coming from a history with Dell.) Since this is my first Mac purchase I am a little nervous now about building my system. I am looking at the iMac 24". Should I even be worried? Can I get by with the out of the box specs just in case....I don't think I would want to return it, but don't want to be stuck either. I also don't want this machine to be as "old" as my current Dell is now in another 3 years, so I am wondering about upgrading specs. Should I? Are the standard specs really quite good? With digi scrapping I am dealing with very large files in Photoshop all the time and am very tired of SLOW. Also, are all the upgrades cost effective?

Processor is standard 2.16GHz can upgrade to 2.33. If I am not a gamer will this matter? Does the processor speed have much effect on Photoshop?

RAM is standard at 1gig, but I wonder if 2 would make any noticable difference. I notice lots of you posting in other threads seem to have 2gigs. I would like to have the full advantages of the iLife toys and run PSE (even a possible future upgrade to Photoshop and Lightroom) AND listen to music etc...without my system dragging horribly. Again, I am coming from 256, so even 1gig would be great, but cost wise, is it better to start out with more RAM now rather than upgrading later?? The Apple sales guy said 1 gig on a Mac is better than 1 gig on a PC, true?? Minimum for Lightroom is 1 gig, are minimum specs really as good as you would want?

Hard Drive is standard at 250GB, but maybe 500 is the way to go with lots of photos and digital scrapbook elements and papers to store. But, is it worth spending $200 to double the space? Or would EHDs be more cost effective? Also, I worry about a drive crashing and losing even MORE stuff from a larger drive. (I would backup to DVDs however, for sure.) I only have 40GB on my main drive now (almost full needing constant deletions), another internal 120 I added, and a couple of EHDs as backup so I can delete things off my computer as it fills.

Graphics Card, since I am not a gamer I would think I don't need to upgrade this from a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 128 MB SDRAM to the 7600 256 MB?? I really don't know anything about the importance of these. They seem over-hyped to me, and I don't know what any of the numbers mean.

If I do upgrade anything, what how would the average Photoshop user prioritize the choices? More RAM most important? Hard Drive?

2. When to Buy

I realize Leopard is "around the corner". Also I have read of a new version of iLife. Worth waiting for since they still say spring? Are Macs as buggy with new OS releases as that other company?? Would I be better off buying now? I have never upgraded an OS without buying a new computer, how hard might it be to install Leopard if I choose to upgrade down the road after buying the iMac now?

The expense is an issue for me to some extent. I am not going to buy now and run out to upgrade the OS ASAP. I don't want to buy now and be disappointed in a month if Leopard is released. But I am also having trouble waiting!! I spent a day and a half just this week fixing computer things and upgrading Norton, etc... and I still don't have working email. I know Tiger works. Leopard, who knows. Would you stop torturing yourself and order now????

Thanks in advance for any answers, opinions, considerations, help, etc....

Lisa

[Wendy]

Hi Lisa ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

Umm ... not sure where to begin. OK I'll go for the last point first ... I am waiting for Leopard and hoping that it isn't too far away now. I have installed quite a few new OS on the Mac and not yet come across a buggy one ... they do the occasional update but not that many.

Customising the Mac ... First thing is well I don't know anyone who has sent one back :)

I have extra memory installed (2.5GB in total) and I think that is worthwhile ... Photoshop & Elements (if you use large files) eats memory :).

Wendy

[CarolLHB]

Hi Lisa-I'm no expert, but here's my two cents-

I have an iMac and I love it-using PSE4 and iLife extensively-I:

kept it at 250G
didn't upgrade the graphics card
upgraded the processor
upgraded the RAM to 2G
purchased Apple Care-they fix just about anything+fabulous (in English) customer support
you won't want to return it-period
Macs don't crash (least never in my experience with them going on 5 years)
OS issues have been non-existent for me-never-Apple is constantly updating software, your machine looks for it and you download it, simple.
Installing Leopard will take about two minutes-5 tops. I upgraded from Panther to Tiger during a yawn, I think.I'm not sure when Leo comes out, you may want to wait (or not)
What you do want to wait for is Ray and some of our super users to fill in any gaps...:)
Hope this helps-

[CalamityJanet]

Hi Lisa,

I'm one of the new switchers...I've had my iMac since mid January. I'm too new (and computer illiterate) to make recommendations about memory, graphics cards, etc. But I will make a suggestion about the monitor size. I bought mine at CompUSA, and in the store the 24" was just gorgeous! I really wanted it, but ended up "settling" for the 20". When I got it home I was amazed at how much bigger it looked than it did in the store. When I sit at my desk I find myself wanting to back away from it unless I'm doing a difficult selection. I considered taking it back because I'm sure I would have been perfectly satisfied with the 17"! (BTW, I'm 51 and wear glasses for reading and computer work so I thought the bigger monitor would help.)

So...if you don't need all that extra screen size it could save you some extra $$$ to spend on some other upgrade.:D Good luck! I'm sure you're going to love whichever one you decide to get!

[Wendy]

I agree with Janet ... I have the 20" Cinema Screen and it is hugh !! :)

Wendy

[heroscraps]

Good tips so far, Thanks! Keep them coming.... (Ray and others hint hint hint..)

[ME100FINN]

First off, you may want to scroll this this mac thread - LOTS of info:
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18772

I am planning to purchase PSE4 for Mac, and would like to possibly get Adobe Lightroom eventually.
Contact Adobe and tell them you are switching platforms - you wont have to pay full price. I am using Aperture and highly recommend it.


Should I even be worried?
No way - you could go with out of the box, but I suggest at least 2gb ram. That will make a difference. I went with the faster processor - we all want fast/better, so why not? I feel they are cost effective - making work time more productive. Only consideration you can talk to rep about is the graphics card - that weighs heavier if you're a gamer. Talk to Apple and they can instruct you on the best choice for digital work.

I can run music and PSE4 and other stuff just fine. PSE does slow down a tad from time to time, but it also depends on the size of the file. It is much better than the pc though!

Hard Drive is standard at 250GB - I wish I purchased more hard drives for my Mac Pro, but they are very pricey! Get what you can afford and prefer. Digital images do consume space - Externals are very affordable and easy to carry around as needed. That might be a better option for you.

...as for Leopard, I will purchase at some point, I dont know when. I bought my Mac Pro at the end of last year. I wont hesitate that upgrade.

It can be a bit daunting to move to a new operating system and whole new way to do things - but, you will read that once you go Mac, you'll never look back! Honest - it will change your life. Call Apple...talk to several different reps... get the feel for what they recommend...talk here...you'll be confident of your choices and never regret it.

[Wendy]

Hi ..

Something else I would suggest (if you are able to) is that you visit an Apple Shop. They are full of people who are very knowledgeable about Macs ... they will answer all sorts of questions, let you play on all the Macs and they really do not push you into buying something you don't need ..

Wendy :)

[Carbone]

I am looking at the iMac 24". Should I even be worried?

Like others have said it before, it's big. In my opinion, it's too big. 20" was ok for me (Apple Cinema Display 20" with a Powermac)

I also don't want this machine to be as "old" as my current Dell is now in another 3 years, so I am wondering about upgrading specs.

Any Mac, even after 5 years, doesn't feel that old because there are less Mac around to compare it with. If you can't compare, you're usually more satisfied ;) I have a 3 years old PowerMac and only this week have I realized my 8 months old Macbook is as fast for a few things then my Powermac is. Though, on the overall, the Powermac is still faster.


Should I? Are the standard specs really quite good? With digi scrapping I am dealing with very large files in Photoshop all the time and am very tired of SLOW. Also, are all the upgrades cost effective?

That's something that varies from time to time. When I got my Mac, memory from Apple was like 2x the cost of buying it at the store. So I got little from Apple, and installed the rest myself. Hard drive was the contrary, so I got a big hard drive from Apple.

If you're not able to install bigger hard drives yourself (I don't know if recent iMac can be home-upgraded), I think you should get 250GB from Apple. I think memory can be upgraded by the user, but these days, it's still close to market price with Apple so I'd order it from them. Besides, it's gonna be covered by the warranty this way :)

Processor is standard 2.16GHz can upgrade to 2.33. If I am not a gamer will this matter? Does the processor speed have much effect on Photoshop?

Photoshop, big files and filters will use a lot of processing power. So the bigger the better. Will you see a ground shaking difference? No. Will you notice it ? Yes. So maybe you could save money on the processor and get more RAM. Or a bigger hard drive.

Graphics card are the heart of Apple's Core Image and Core Video technologies. In plain, they are the key part for all those nicely looking interface (semi transparent windows, shadows, animated sheets, etc.)


RAM is standard at 1gig, but I wonder if 2 would make any noticable difference. I notice lots of you posting in other threads seem to have 2gigs.

For the time being, PSE4 runs in Rosetta and Rosetta requires extra memory on top of PSE4. So I would get 2GB. Minimum.

The Apple sales guy said 1 gig on a Mac is better than 1 gig on a PC, true?? Minimum for Lightroom is 1 gig, are minimum specs really as good as you would want?

I don't that it is true, but Mac OS doesn't keep stuff in memory which is not used. If an apps is minimized or hidden, some of its memory is released. So 1GB may go further on a Mac than on a PC.

When you read "minimum is...", you need to think that this number represent the minimum for this app alone. In order word, if your browser is opened, as well as PSE4, Mail and maybe a few dashboard widgets, you'll need more than that for all to work ok. 2GB is really the minimum these days.

Hard Drive is standard at 250GB, but maybe 500 is the way to go with lots of photos and digital scrapbook elements and papers to store.


With a Mac, you tend to collect many things because it's easy to playback files and listen to music, etc. So the bigger the hard drive, the better. EHDs are fine, I use one for Backups.

Graphics Card, since I am not a gamer I would think I don't need to upgrade this from a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 128 MB SDRAM to the 7600 256 MB?? I really don't know anything about the importance of these. They seem over-hyped to me, and I don't know what any of the numbers mean.

If you don't plan on gaming, then 128MB should be ok. However, and this is my personal views, graphics card are playing a bigger role these days. In the past, they were used primarily for games. Now, they're used everywhere in OS. When I say use I mean big use, not just image viewing. Apple uses them for visual effects and soon the resolution independent UI (meaning at 800x600 or 1280x1024, the user interface will look the same, at the same height and width) will probably use even more graphics.

Also, this is the one thing you can't upgrade. Ever. You can send your iMac to get a bigger hard drive later or add a FireWire one later, you can add memory at a later time, even add wifi and bluetooth, but you can't replace the graphic cards. If you plan on keeping your iMac a long, long time, a bigger graphic card would be a good choice, but again, not an absolute.



If I do upgrade anything, what how would the average Photoshop user prioritize the choices? More RAM most important? Hard Drive?


RAM
Graphics
Hard Drive (because you can add an external one very easily)


2. When to Buy


Apple Store or Online, or a reseller, they've all got the same base price, but if you find something cheaper, Apple Store will match the price. Apple store online often offer a free or heavily discounted printer with new Macs.


I realize Leopard is "around the corner". Also I have read of a new version of iLife. Worth waiting for since they still say spring? Are Macs as buggy with new OS releases as that other company?? Would I be better off buying now? I have never upgraded an OS without buying a new computer, how hard might it be to install Leopard if I choose to upgrade down the road after buying the iMac now?


Leopard is an unknown at this time. Reports claims there are many, many bugs to polish before shipping it.

New OS always come with a risk. But given that Apple enjoys a closed environment (it controls the hardware and the OS), things like install an OS an it wipes your hard drive isn't going to happen. Though you may find that some applications will not fully work in any given situation untill .1 is released (10.5.1, for example).


The expense is an issue for me to some extent. I am not going to buy now and run out to upgrade the OS ASAP. I don't want to buy now and be disappointed in a month if Leopard is released. But I am also having trouble waiting!! I spent a day and a half just this week fixing computer things and upgrading Norton, etc... and I still don't have working email. I know Tiger works. Leopard, who knows. Would you stop torturing yourself and order now????


Leopard is said to last longer. Apple will reduce the pace at which it threw OSes to its customers. It was almost once every 18 months, but now it's going to last longer. So you may buy your Mac now, knowing that you can upgrade the OS when all bugs are fixed at a later time (in 6 to 12 months, for example)

90% of the applications on the market nowadays requires either 10.2.8 or 10.3.9. You'd be running 10.4.9. So, you'd be safe for a certain while before even being forced to upgrade. With current apps in mind, that is. I don't know if Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac will run on 10.4 or requires 10.5 (guess like anything else, it'll run on 10.3.9 !!)

Ray

[Bob_Benner]

Macs are the best, thats why I use a PC laptop, lol. You could go with the standard Hardrive and add an external drive, thats what I would do. Go with 2 gigs of RAM also. I will be retiring my curent PC laptop and switching back to a MAC hopefully in June. I will be getting the 17inch MAC Book Pro ( but don't tell my wife:eek: ).

[mom to 4]

Hey, Bob! I hear ya!!! Don't tell MY husband the cost of my new imac!!!:D :D :D

[Wendy]

Colleen ...

Yes but they are gorgeous :)

Wendy

[mom to 4]

Wendy:

They are like a work of art on the outside. From all I hear, they are that way on the inside as well! Can't wait to get it. Oh, and I got a free (after rebate) printer as well! I don't print off my own photos, but it is an all-in-one, so I will have a scanner to scan old photos too! Sweet deal!;)

[ME100FINN]

Colleen I got the HP3180 and it is a nice little machine - does a good job for everyday and photos too.

[heroscraps]

Thanks for the great info everyone! Hmmmm...things to think about. I may need to find time this weekend to head out to the store. I am rethinking the 24". I want to take a better look at the 20" now....will they laugh at me if I bring my tape measure to the Apple store?? I see the specs online, but you know, some things you need to see in person. I do know that there is a difference in the screen brightness with the 24"....anyone complaining about the brightness on the 20"???

Lisa

[CalamityJanet]

Lisa, I wouldn't worry about the screen brightness. In the store the 24" did look brighter and that was part of the appeal, but when I got the 20" home it looks just as bright and beautiful as the 24" did. (I even wondered if they had done something with the display settings at the store so that the 24" would be more appealing and therefore sell better.)

[heroscraps]

I know darn it, they make that 24" look sooooo cool, don't they?? And with the lighting in the stores being so much different than at home, it is hard to tell what it will look like on MY desk. There is just so much to consider with such a big purchase and I can't seem to nail down my "perfect within budget machine". The good thing is, my husband is on board and he keeps coming home every day asking if I have ordered it yet! I just need some more research but I think I might make the jump sooner than later.....I think I am talking myself out of waiting for Leopard.:)

Lisa

[CalamityJanet]

Here's what the 20" looks like on my desk. I couldn't put the keyboard on the pull-out shelf because the cord wasn't long enough. I thought of buying a wireless keyboard, but found that I like to keep it on the desktop instead anyway. It slides right up under the monitor. I keep my Wacom on the pull-out below unless I'm doing a difficult selection or something, then the cord is long enough that I can pull it forward and onto the desktop in front of the keyboard when I need to. Overall, I think I squeezed a lot of stuff onto that desk! I plan to move the flatbed scanner to a side table later after I scan all my old photos, and that will free up a lot of space.

You may want to figure out what you're going to plug in to the USB ports on the back to determine if you'll need more. I bought a USB hub that has 4 ports on the back of it and one on the top that I use for the camera or card reader. It just sits on the desk and is easier to access for temporary connections.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1oCmhL5tW25fLkmLk2wNNYQ8ZYqtd70_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1oCmhL5tW25fLkmLk2wNNYQ8ZYqtd70)

[CarolLHB]

I went with the 20" and am very happy with it:)

Janet-I had the same problem with the keyboard cord, so I plugged it into the hub, which I keep on the keyboard shelf. I can't put my keyboard up with the monitor because of carpal tunnel-

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I took the tape measure into the Apple store ... and then came home and cut the shape out in cardboard :o

Wendy

[Carbone]

Nice set up, janet :)

Ray

[CalamityJanet]

Thanks Ray! I like it...it's the cleanest little corner in the whole house! I just need to figure out how to disable GarageBand so I can keep the husband away from it.:twisted:

[heroscraps]

Love that desk! And good idea about the measuring and cardboard cutout. I will do that.

Lisa

[heroscraps]

Forgot to ask about the USB hub....is that something that can be purchased anywhere? Did not know of such things. Good idea.

Lisa

[CarolLHB]

I ordered mine through Apple when I ordered the computer. Mine is made by Belkin. You can get them in most major stores:)

[Carbone]

There are several ways... (I'm debating over showing them or not...)

- Move it to the trash (reinstalling may be a pain)
- Make the alias point to a text file (i.e. "Honey, you're free to play once the dishes is cleaned and the kids are in bed...")

;)

Ray

[Carbone]

Forgot to ask about the USB hub....is that something that can be purchased anywhere? Did not know of such things. Good idea.

Lisa

Anything goes, just make sure :

- It's self powered (that'll make plugging power hungry stuff a trouble free)
- It's USB 2.0 or HiSpeed (to support an external hard drive, for example)

Ray

[ljameso1]

I have had my imac 5yrs and just now starting to slow down. I have 17inch screen and find is plenty. Were I buying this year, I would get as much ram and memory as is available. That's what I did with my G4 and is probably why I've been able to keep it so long. They really are as easy to set up as the commercials say.

[rick harker]

I have a G5 iMac 1.8, 1G ram, 20in screen. Does things reasonably ok but would I notice a difference with the new intel Mac's?

Rick.

[Carbone]

With current PSE4, no. Same with Office 2004. As for the other applications, yes, you would. As soon as publishers complete the transition to Intel mac, you'll see much difference. As for now, many application still run under Rosetta, and it's not super fast.

Ray

[rick harker]

Is there a PSE 5 for Mac on the way?

Rick

[rick harker]

Would extra ram be of any benifit in the interim?

[Wendy]

Rick ...

There is no word on PSE5 yet ...

Wendy

[Berengaria]

I was going to wait for the new system but couldn't when I kept getting "out of memory" reports.
A news letter for Macs that I have much faith in said "don't wait". The new systems always install easily and that is no reason to wait.

Go for it! My new iBook comes Thursday.

Berengaria

[Carbone]

Depending on how many Rosetta applications and what they are, 1GB may be sufficient, but put 2 and you'll be safe for many years.

On my Macbook, I usually run only one Rosetta app at a time. Either PSE, or Painter IX or Word.

Ray

[rick harker]

I get a little confused when Apple say the "core duo" was 2 times faster than the "G5" and now the "core 2 duo" is 2 times faster again. ???
So... If I do a blur filter on a 60meg file it should happen 4 times faster (?).
Hmm! Simple math I know but a lot of other factors are built in like trip wires, hurdles, high jumps, long jumps and a few security coded doors to break through first (my analytical imagination of the inner workings of a computer).
I do like the iMacs though and think a new one should be on my shopping list.
Hmm! 24 inch or stick with the 20 inch?

rick.

[Carbone]

So... If I do a blur filter on a 60meg file it should happen 4 times faster (?).


Not exactly... there are things which are not exactly depending on the processor speed, such as access to memory, access to disk, video card refresh capacity, etc. So, when Apple says this processor is 2 times faster than this other one, they're probably true. But, does this translates into pure 2 times faster task completion ? Not likely.

In this precise case, Photoshop still has to access the cache on the disk (not faster) and display the image after done (faster, but probably not 2 times).


I do like the iMacs though and think a new one should be on my shopping list.
Hmm! 24 inch or stick with the 20 inch?

rick.

This is a matter of personal taste, but having seen a 24" in a store, it's really huge. And it looks bigger at home. Make sure you can sit in front of one for a good 15-30 minutes before you commit to one model.

I have a 20" Apple Cinema Display and it's really, really big enough for me!

Ray

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I totally agree with Ray ... I have the 20" cinema screen and it really is big once you get it home.

Any larger and it would have been just too big for my desk :)

Wendy

[Carbone]

There's also an ergonomic rule : you need to be sitting at an arm's length between your monitor and you. And another rule, you shouldn't have to move your head left and right (up and down too) too much while you work.

Problem with the 24" is that at that distance, I'd have to move my head really often to see everything. And you don't buy that big a monitor to simply use the centre spot... :D

Ray

[mom to 4]

Hey, Ray......

Just thought I would let you know I am writing this on my new imac. I went for the 20 inch screen at my neighbors insistance and I am glad that I did. I know the 24 inch would have been over-kill but boy this 20 inch is .......well.....WOW!!!!

So far I love everything about the mac, not hard to get used to either, but I am sure it will eventually all fall into place. I don't even want to go near my old pc!!!!!!! should have made the switch years ago!!!:D

Thanks for all your help and advice. I will probably yell for help in the future too!!!!

colleen

[Carbone]

Colleen : you're officially my little Sunshine of the Day :)

Bravo! You know where to find me if you need anything.

BTW, about the switch, it's hard for Windows users to understand why we're all excited about our Mac. Until the time they try one for a certain period of time. All reviewers I read about on the net ultimately switched. It's always the same thing.. they're given a Mac for a month (or more) and have to use this and only this for the time. At the end, to various degree, the comments are almost always the same : they'll never go back to PCs, they're keeping the Mac forever.

I've been playing with Vista for 2 days now. Though the interface has some nice elements, the overall experience is far from perfect. And I have encountered serious bugs and UI (User Interface) design flaws, such as uneven spacing in elements, inconsistent window naming, non standard UI elements in Windows' Flagship Office 2007, etc. I still prefer my Mac and I think if anyone is considering Windows Vista as an incentive for a getting a new computer, you should really try a Mac before you commit to Vista. Ask questions about installing software (that f-word confirmation thing..)

Good example : Vista doesn't distinguish between me when I want to install a software and a virus which to pollute my system. So I am asked to always confirm installing new software. When prepping a machine, that's annoying. Maybe there was a special mode I haven't discovered (Vista Pro) Anyway... the screen becomes all dark and I have this dialog box to confirm. The first time this happens, it's like you've done something serious and the system is about to crash... hehe! Or those tooltips which aren't tooltips anymore, they're almost 3 lines up and filling the entire screen width (personally, I started to called them Express Encyclopedia..)

Ray

[mom to 4]

Ray:

I was initially really concerned about the difference in price between the mac and the pc. After only 2 days, I am really convinced it was money well spent. Maryellen said she wants a laptop for her birthday (I don't think so......we never spend that kind of money on birthddays....and should I be the one to get a present on the day I gave birth to her????) Anyway....I think for college, I will go with an apple....rather I know I will go with an apple. Just listening to the security features I can get and knowing that she will not be away from home and get a virus that will hang her up for days is worth the money......all our computers from now on will be MAC's!

[Wendy]

Colleen ...

Sounds like you are already a Mac addict :)

We are just as bad ... we have 3 Macs and there are only two of us :eek: ... if the kids ask we pretend the MacBookPro belongs to the cat :D :D

Wendy

[Carbone]

I know several students with Macbook and iBook and they're all very happy. One lives far from Mom and the iBook is her main computer. It hosts school works and entertainment as well (Office 2004 and iLife).

And nowadays, with newer Mac's ability to boot in Windows if required, you can't go wrong.

Ray

[bnk1953]

Colleen - as far as Macs for college - be careful as some colleges will not support Macs AT ALL! I put one daughter thru Cornell University (NY) - and the engineering department there pretty much said pc's is the only one - so she ended up with a pc (although she's looking into getting a mac now that she is out of college (my family has been apple since way back in the apple IIc days). My other daughter is going to Occidental college in Los Angeles (yea I know my kids went to the coasts for college - and wifey and I are stuck in the middle here in MN). Occidental will not support Macs at all. Although there is a strong Mac group on campus (which we didn't find out until after we bought her a pc laptop). She wishes she had gone with a mac - but can't afford one for now. Of course with the intel machines - you can run both - just have to make sure you have lots of room on that hard drive.
Oh - and welcome to the mac side of the computer world. It's sort of like going from black and white to one of COLOR

[pixlbandit]

I have been a long-time PC user--I work at a PC almost-only campus (they grudgingly allow that some faculty won't comply) but have used Macs at various and extended times and circumstances. But have never fallen in love with either.

I have recently begun to really get peeved with Windows though. Over the last several weeks Windows Automatic Update has repeatedly tried to install additions that report you to the mothership if you have any illegal Windows software installed on your machine. There were 2 attempts (or demands, really) yesterday. I always refuse in principle. All my software is legal, registered and acquired through legitimate sources, but I consider this to be bully-ware and don't feel like helping Windows to spy on me for any reason whatsoever. I do wonder, though, how long it will be before the company refuses to allow one to get other updates and patches if they won't allow this piece of code to be installed--or how many times a day they will attempt the install....

Vicki

[Carbone]

If you're referring to the Genuine Tool (or whatever it's called these days), it'll remain there, in your computer, as long as you don't install it. And, later down the road, when new updates arrive, some of them will be dependent on this Genuine thing. So, unless it's installed and running, some updates won't get installed on your system.

And carefully read the EULA (End User Licence Agreement) which comes with this little "gift" from Microsoft. At some point, if they didn't change it, it used to say that you cannot uninstall it or use some tool to prevent it from calling head offices, in other words, you agree by updating your computer with this tool to never attempt to remove it... wow..

Some freebies from Microsoft are already "Genuine-aware", such as the free Windows Media Encoder (not the player, the encoder).

Ray

[pixlbandit]

Ray,
Thanks for the information. I believe it is called "Genuine Advantage." I was too tired last night to remember. It sounds like a "legal" trojan horse to me from your description. I don't want to hijack this thread but thought that Windows users should be aware of what the company is sneaking in under the cover of darkness. I haven't heard a single other user complain or act alarmed about this development!
Vicki

[Carbone]

Because Microsoft offered that, first, with goodies. I think it was something on digital photography (memory book, or something like that). So swallowing the Genuine Advantage was fun, actually, you got goodies because you allowed Microsoft to poll the invetory of your PC for their personal use.. ;)

But to know all this, you need to read the entire EULA, which very little people do.

Finally, this tool was offered as a critical update at first. By default, most Windows users accept critical update as a serious issue being fixed. Just as IE7 was offered as a critical update (at first, I believe they changed the level of distribution since then).

It's not a Microsoft bashing festival, but rather I don't like the way they're doing business ! :)

Ray

[Carbone]

Here's an excellent article WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) :

http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/409

It's long, but easily understandable (written in plain English)

Ray

[CarolLHB]

Coleen, now that you're a member of the family I can tell you: you'll go with a Mac, you have to say, "I use a Mac" or "I'm a Mac user" . Remember, Apple makes them, they're the company, but we use Macs...just want to make sure that you have the lingo down...:D:D

Glad you're happy with your choice-enjoy!:)

[rick harker]

Unfortunately it's the bandits that have made the innocent suffer.
I've had my mac for 2 years, love the way it "just works".
My pc just sits there in silence.

Rick.